Safety-envelop.



PATENTED APR. 28, 1903.

E. G. THUMB.

SAFETY BNVELOP.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 25, 1901.

N0 MODEL.

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EDGAR O. THUMB, OF ST. JOHNSVILLE, NEW YORK.

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SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. '7 26,375, dated April 28, 1903.

Application filed April 25, 1901. Serial No. 57.417. (No model.)

T0 of, whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, EDGAR C. THUMB, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Johnsville, in the county of Montgomery and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful lmprovemen ts in Safety-Envelope, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to safet-y-envelops; and it has for its object to provide an improved device of this class which when once sealed cannot be opened by unsealing without detection.

The particular object of inyinvention is to provide an improved safety-envelop in which the postage-stamp will constitute, in association with the other members, an element of the safety features, and which envelop will be simple in construction and convenient and efficient in use.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front View of a safety-envelop constructed according to my invention, the same being provided with a postage-stamp which is affixed in position to prevent fraudulent unsealing of the envelop. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken upon the line 0o 00, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan View of a blank from which the envelop shown in Figs. 1 and 2 may be formed. Fig. 4 is a rear View of my safety-envelop with the closureflap in extended position.

Corresponding parts in all the figures are denoted by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates my improved envelop, which consists of an ordinary central or front portion 2, upon which the address is to be written, the rear flaps 3, 4, and 5, respectively, which are folded to gether and sealed rearwardly of the front portion 2, and the closure-flap 6, which cooperates with the rear flaps 3, 4, and 5 to effectively close the envelop. The closure-flap 6 in closed position extends across the point of junction, as at 7, of the rear flaps 3, 4, and 5, and after said closure-flap 6 has been sealed with the remaining parts of the envelop a postage-stamp 8 is applied to the outer end portion of the same and to the portion of the envelop in connection with which said outer end of the flap 6 is sealed, and in order to unseal or loosen the flap 6 from the remaining portions of the envelop it is necessary to mutilate or destroy the stamp 8 and free the outer end of the flap 6.

In the preferred form of construction the :flaps 3 and 4 are connected with opposite side edges of the central portion 2 of the envelop,

and the flaps 5 and 6 are connected with the remaining side edges of the central portion 2 of the envelop. The flap 5 is provided upon the edge portions of its innersurface portion with adhesive substances, as indicated at 9, whereby the said flap 5 may be sealed to the flaps 3 and 4 to complete the envelop formation. The flap 6 is provided with a straight side edge 10, which extends in alinement with one side edge of the folded envelop, and with an oblique side edge 11, which extends from the opposite side edge of the envelop to the outer end portion of the flap 6. The flap 6 when folded into operative position effectively closes the envelop in cooperation with the flaps 3, 4, and 5, extending across the point of connection, as at 7, of the flaps 3, 4, and 5. The fiap' 6 is provided at its outer end with a transverse crease-line 12, whereby the extreme end portion 13 of said flap 6 may be folded over one side edge of the envelop and secured to the outer face of the front'or central portion 2 of the envelop, whereby the stamp 8 may be simultaneously secured to the same and to the central portion 2 of the envelop. The side edge portions 10 and 11 of the flap 6, upon the inner surface portion of the latter, are provided with adhesive material 9, whereby said flap 6 may be secured to the outer surface portions of the flaps 3, 4, and 5. The extreme outer end portion 13 of the flap 6 is provided with adhesive material 9, whereby said end portion 13 may be efiectively adhesively secured to the front portion 2 of the envelop.

The entire envelop may be formed of a single blank, as illustrated in Fig. 3, which may be cut or stamped from suitable stock, and the adhesive substance 9 may be applied to the fiat flaps 5 and 6 in a single application to one side or surface of said blank.

The operation and advantages of my im proved safety envelop will be readily understood. The envelop is addressed in the customary manner upon the front portion 2 of the same; but in placing the address upon the envelop that edge portion of the front portion 2 with which the flap 6 is connected is preferably considered as the bottom of the envelop, and the edge portion of the front portion 2 with which the flap 5 is connected is correspondingly considered the top of the envelop. When the envelop has been addressed and prepared for sealing, the flap 6 is folded upwardly and secured by means of the adhesive material 9 to the outer surfaces of the flaps 3, 4c, and 5. The flap 6 is folded upon the crease-line 12, bringing the extreme end portion 13 of the same across the outer face of the front portion 2, where it is'secured in position by means of the adhesive material 9. 'The envelop is now effectively sealed,

and the postage-stamp 8 is applied to the front portion 2 in the upper corner of the same and across the end portion 13 of the flap 6. In order to open the envelop without cutting the same, it is necessary to unseal the flap6, and as the end portion 13 of the lat ter is secured beneath the postage-stamp 8 the flap 6 cannot be unsealed without mutilating the stamp 8. As this mutilation during transit of the letter would result in detention of the same and if occurring after delivery from the mails would be liable to detection, the fraudulent unsealing of the envelop to all'intents and purposes is prevented. The envelop may be readily opened by the addressee by slitting the same along one side nent creases,which would weaken it, and the limitation of the adhesive'to the point of the line 12 establishes such a difference between the adhesive and non-adhesive parts of the flap 6 that the convenient and accurate folding of the former along the line 12 is greatly facilitated.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patcut-- Asafety-envelop made up essentially,of the blank configurated and gummed as herein described, that is to say, of the rectangular body portion 2, triangular and pointed lower flap 5 having the line of adhesive 9 extending around its two outer sides, ungummed end flaps 3 and 1 having rounded points and adapted to be overlapped and sealed by the pointed lower flap, and the upper closure-flap 6 adjoining the rectangular body portion and having a straight edge in alinement with one end thereof, and an inclined edge leading inward from the opposite end of such rectangular body portion, such closure-flap having the rounded end 13, adapted to be folded over the front of the corner where the postagestamp is applied, and having adhesive material' applied from end to end along its straight and inclined edges and across the rounded extension, the wid th of said adhesive being increased at the end thereof, so as to present a straight line 12 serving as a guide for creasing the closure-flap and to insure its adhesion to the whole of that part of the front upon which it is folded when sealing the envelop, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name in the presence of the subscribing witnesses.

E. C. THUMB.

Witnesses:

M. WALRATH,

TIMOTHY DINNEEN. 

